Cosmetic method of treating skin ageing

ABSTRACT

A device for carrying out a cosmetic method or treating skin ageing and the method comprising the following steps: a) connecting an electronic device, able to generate high frequency electric current waves having a distorted sinusoidal wave form by the presence of harmonics, to one or more electrodes of essentially laminar shape; b) applying said one or more electrodes on the skin surface in the area to be treated; c) activating said electronic device in order to transfer said current waves to said one or more electrodes and to maintain said device activated for a predetermined time; d) deactivating said device and removing the electrodes form the contact with the treated area.

The invention is about a cosmetic method of treating skin ageing and thedevice carrying out said method.

As from the ancient times, the cosmetic art was interested in treatingsomehow the ageing effects, especially on the skin, in order to reduceas far as possible the unpleasant aesthetical effects that the ageingcauses in the aspect of the persons with the appearance of wrinkles andthe skin and muscular tissues relaxation.

Even if some means for fighting against the skin ageing are changedduring the centuries, it can be essentially stated that the maintreatments still used today are related to the skin treatment by theapplication of creams on the skin combined with a massage, in order tomake the absorption easier.

The cosmetic creams have active principles, sometimes natural andsometimes obtained with chemical synthesis, which mainly act on thesuperficial layer of the skin in order to limit or to eliminate thewrinkledness acquired by the skin with the passing of time.

Generally, a cosmetic with skin recovery functionality acts on thehydration of the either deep or superficial layers of the skin, reducingas far as possible the loss of water of the cells and thus restoring theturgidity of the skin.

Another action exerted by the actual cosmetic products is to reduce thethickness of the more external layer (horny layer) of the skin,restoring it a certain elasticity.

There are also cosmetic treatment directed to reduce the excess of freeradicals which, if present in the skin, begin to destroy the membranesof the more superficial cells of the skin, which are the main defenceagainst the external environment.

Cosmetic and medical treatment are used to reduce the effect of freeradicals, also in function of the effects they have on the more externaltissues, that is the skin.

One of the limits of the aforesaid cosmetic treatments is the fact thatsuch treatment substantially involves the superficial layer of the skin,and it does not eliminate the causes of the ageing.

Consequently, said treatments have to be repeated with time and they arenot suitable to gain stable results.

It is the main object of the invention to provide for a cosmetic methodof treating skin ageing which gives stable results with time and whichis without unwelcome effects.

It is another object of the invention to provide for a cosmetic methodwhich allows to eliminate in a substantially definitive way the ageingeffects, like both the formation of wrinkles on the skin and therelaxation of the skin and its support tissues.

It is a further object of the invention to provide for a cosmetic methodwhich is easy to use and without any collateral and unwelcome effect onthe organism on which the treatment is applied.

Not the least object is the possibility to perform a treatment by adevice which is efficient and little expensive.

The above mentioned objects, and other which will be better highlightedin the following description, are attained by a cosmetic method oftreating skin ageing characterized by comprising the following steps:

a) connecting an electronic device able to generate high frequencyelectric current waves, having a distorted sinusoidal wave form by thepresence of harmonics, to one or more electrodes of essentially laminarshape;

b) applying said one or more electrodes on the skin surface in the areato be treated;

c) activating said electronic device in order to transfer said currentwaves to said one or more electrodes and to maintain said deviceactivated for a predetermined time;

d) deactivating said device and removing the electrodes from the contactwith the treated area.

It is also a part of the present invention the device carrying out theaforesaid method and essentially comprising one or more electrodes ofessentially laminar shape, to be applied on the skin by adherence andconnected to an electronic device, said electronic device comprising:

a rectifier circuit fed by power grid voltage which supplies a directvoltage, preferably stabilized, to a radiofrequency circuit;

a radiofrequency circuit comprising at least an electronic switch fed bysaid voltage and piloted by a piloting circuit,

characterized in that said radiofrequency circuit output consists of acurrent wave of distorted sinusoidal form by the presence of harmonicsof at least the second and third order, said current wave circulating ina broadband resonant circuit on the frequency of the pure wave of saiddistorted sinusoidal form.

Advantageously, according to the method of the invention one or moreessentially laminar electrodes are applied on the parts of the skinareas which have to be treated against the ageing, in order to followwithout difficulties the shape of the skin surface.

In a preferred executive embodiment of the invention, the electrodes arealso provided with an adhesive substance which helps the maintenance ofthe contact on the skin during the application of the wave formgenerated by the electronic device.

The electronic device carrying out the method of the invention is adevice in which the resultant wave applied to the electrodes is a wavepreferably having a main frequency of 4 MHz and having harmonics ofsecond, third and fourth order.

The effect of the application of such wave forms directly on the skin isto operate in the muscular layers placed beneath the epidermis, which isthe outermost tissue of the skin, so that the cellular regenerationaction is stimulated.

From performed tests it was noticed that the cellular regeneration isalso matched with the permeability recovery of the cell wall, which hasbecome impermeable with the ageing and has included therein fats andharmful substances for the same cell's life.

The regeneration possibility of the muscle beneath the skin, and thusthe muscular tone recovery, allows a stable increase of said musclevolume and therefore the consequent stretching of the overlying skin, sothat the wrinkledness and relaxation effects, typical of the ageing ofthe skin and its muscle below, disappear.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be betterhighlighted in a particular executive embodiment of the invention, givenin an explanatory but not limiting way, with reference to the figures ofthe annexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a flow chart of the electronic device of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows in detail the radiofrequency circuit belonging to theelectronic device of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 shows the wave form, with reference to the different frequencies,of the available power at the electrodes of the electronic device of theinvention.

With reference to the aforesaid Figures, in particular to FIG. 1, it isnoted that the circuit carrying out the electronic device is fed bypower grid voltage, and it is provided with an input filter 10 for theprotection against possible radiofrequency interferences, present in thepower grid or capable to be transferred from the power grid to theelectronic device.

The circuit is then provided with a transformer, indicated with numeral11, in which a voltage 101, for instance of 230V, enters and a reducedvoltage 102, of about 140 or 160V, exits. Said voltage enters therectifier circuit 20, which is a common double half-wave diode rectifiercircuit in the example, transforming the alternate current into pulsingrectified current, then filtered in order to have a rather high directvoltage 201 as output, for instance of 220V, which is the radiofrequencycircuit 30 supply.

According to an executive embodiment of the invention, instead of thetransformer 11 and the rectifier with filter 20, a stabilized switchingAC/DC converter can be used, or a transformer coupled with a rectifierwith filter having a stabilized switching DC/DC converter in output.

These known solutions for the technician expert in the related field arenot shown.

In any case, the voltage 201 outgoing from these rectifiers should bedirect and rectified, with a prefixed value preferably comprised forinstance between 50V and 200V, where the chosen voltage value depends onthe utilization of the device.

Said radiofrequency circuit is better evidenced in FIG. 2.

In the embodiment of the example, it provides for the utilization of twoMOSFET electronic switches. Each MOSFET 305 is piloted by a pilotingcircuit 306, which is fed by the voltage 302 supplied by adirect-voltage rectified feeder of known type (not shown), in which itis possible to adjust the output voltage, which can be also of switchingtype, to obtain a better efficiency.

The piloting circuit 306 is also adjusted by a current controller 310,which also includes a microprocessor 314.

More exactly, the radiofrequency circuit 30 provides for each MOSFET 305working as a switch, cutting off the direct current coming from theoutput 201 of the rectifier circuit 20 and applied to each MOSFETcollector.

Each piloting circuit 306 emits an unidirectional square wave 304 ofpulsing and non alternating type, which controls the base of eachMOSFET.

The piloting circuit 306 frequency is maintained constant by a quartzoscillator 311, having an oscillation frequency of 4 MHz, connected to aBUFFER 313. The basic oscillation frequency of 4 MHz, and the higherfrequencies too, can be also obtained by a circuit or a specificelectronic device, like for instance a frequency synthesizer.

The MOSFET 305 piloting is performed by a signal having oscillationfrequency equal to the quartz one, or to a circuit with similarfunctions frequency, which is of 4 MHz in the example's embodiment.

When the MOSFET 305 is switched off, it cuts off the current in thebranch 301 while, when it is switched on, it allows the current passagein said branch 301. The wave form amplitude of the current in the branch301 depends on the control of the signal 302 connected to the pilotingcircuit 306.

The signal 302 control is performed by a potentiometer 303, or forexample by a regulator of touch screen type, and it allows to choose theoutput wave amplitude in order to obtain the power to be supplied to theelectrode 41 of the electronic device, according to the interventions tobe performed.

To obtain a power adjustment method which is different from the onedescribed in the example, providing for the power adjustment by thevariation of the feeding voltage 302 of the drivers piloting the powerMOSFETS gates, a still direct and rectified (by AC/DC converter or byDC/DC converter), but variable for instance from 0V to 200V, voltage 201can be used, while the voltage 302 is maintained steady.

Another possibility is that of using the direct and rectified voltage201, variable for instance from 0V to 200V, and the variable voltage 302too to obtain in this case a power adjustment of mixed type.

The output signal of the radiofrequency circuit is thus an impulsivecurrent wave 301 at the frequency of 4 MHz, with amplitude adjusted bythe power controller 303 which modifies the voltage 302.

Since the radiofrequency circuit 30 output is connected to theradiofrequency transformer 40 primary, a circulating current 301 isestablished, which passes through a resonant circuit at the frequency of4 MHz, where the capacity and the inductance of the resonant circuit arerespectively given by the MOSFETS 305 parasitic capacity, by thecondenser 307, having negligible reactance but with the function ofblocking the direct component of the voltage 201, and by the inductanceof the transformer 40 primary circuit.

According to the invention, the resonant circuit is of wide pass-bandtype, in order to allow the passage, even if attenuated, of at least thesecond and the third harmonics of the carrier wave related to the signal301.

Preferably, it has to be obtained that the signal 301 has at least thesecond, the third and the fourth harmonics.

To obtain a resonant circuit of wide pass-band type, a high frequencytransformer was used in the example of FIG. 2, having a number of turnsat the secondary circuit which is equal or greater than the number ofturns at the primary circuit.

In this way, the dosage in decreasing and particular way of theharmonics greater than 4 MHz is obtained, also as a consequence of thekind of intervention to be performed on the skin and/or on the musclebeneath, intervention which changes depending on the different bodyparts to be treated.

As it is known, for a resonant circuit the resonance factor Q is givenby the formula:Q=ωC_(R)R_(E)=2ΠfC_(R)R_(E)=where f is the frequency of resonance, C_(R) is the capacity of theresonant circuit, R_(E) is the equivalent Resistance of the primarycircuit when the load, consisting for example in a patient's body to beincised with the electronic scalpel, is applied to the secondarycircuit.

Since the equivalent Resistance can be expressed with the formula:$R_{E} = {R_{C}\left( \frac{N_{1}}{N_{2}} \right)}^{2}$where R_(C) is the load Resistance and N₁ and N₂ are the numbers ofturns of the primary and the secondary respectively, it can be easilyunderstood that the resonance factor Q can be expressed with theformula:$Q = {2 \sqcap {{fC}_{R}{R_{C}\left( \frac{N_{1}}{N_{2}} \right)}^{2}}}$

This formula shows that the resonance factor decreases with the increaseof the number of secondary turns with respect to the number of primaryones. The resonance factor can also be expressed with the formula:Q=F_(R)/Bwhere F_(R) is the frequency of resonance and B is the pass-band.

In the example of the invention, in order to widen the pass-band of 4MHz to 8 MHz, 12 MHz and 16 MHz, a transformer with a proper number ofturns can be inserted in the resonant circuit, so that the resonancefactor is lower than 1, preferably comprised by 0.6 and 0.7.

With these features of resonant circuit wide pass-band, the transformersecondary current signal in 401 takes the form shown in FIG. 3.

Observing the wave form of FIG. 3, it can be noted that at 4, 8, 12 and16 MHz there are power peaks which are the interesting ones and whichare transferred to the scalpel manipulator with the above describedeffects.

It is noted that the current of the signal 401, once set the powercontroller 303, is controlled by a current controller belonging to acurrent sensor 308 placed after the MOSFET 305.

The voltage signal 309, coming from the current sensor 308, controls thecurrent controller 310 which provides for limiting the current 401, bymeans of fast comparators controlled by the microprocessor 314, actingwith the signal 312 on the BUFFER 313 and thus on the MOSFET pilotingcircuit, or on the supply 201.

The current controller 310 can be a circuit or a specific electronicdevice, or the same microprocessor 314, which controls the entiresystem.

The current control can be also performed by the microprocessor 314,which controls the entire system, without employing fast comparators.

In case of low impedance, since the current would reach very highvalues, a current limiter is present in the circuit, consisting in theinductance 402 which limits the current at the electrodes 41 and avoidthe circuit to exceed the maximum admissible value of the current.

The electric circuit is closed by the ohmic load of the person incosmetic treatment, thus between the electrodes 41, the ohmic load ofthe person and the ground 42.

The upper diagram 3 a of FIG. 3 shows the wave form of the availablepower at the electrodes 41, while the lower diagram 3 b shows thespectrum of the basic frequency at 4 MHz and the different harmonics at8, 12 and 16 MHz. Advantageously, the electrodes 41 have the form offlexible and thin layers, each of them consisting for example in analuminium or copper layer.

Said electrodes are provided with means for the skin adhesion in orderto allow the stable contact between the electrode and the skin duringthe treatment and the subsequent easy removal.

The surface of each electrode preferably but not necessarily ranges from5 to 15 cm².

According to the cosmetic method of treating skin and muscles ageing ofthe invention, said one or more electrodes 41 are applied on the skin ofthe area to be treated by adhesive means.

The adhesive means can be a bonding agent easy to remove from theelectrode and especially from the skin, or a suction cup or equivalentmeans, like pads fixed both on the skin and the electrodes.

Once the operation of electrodes application is finished, and there is asafe and continuous contact between said electrodes and the skin to betreated, the electronic device of the invention is activated so that thewaves generated by said device reach the skin surface for a timeinterval considered optimal in most of the cases when ranging between0.5 and 5 minutes. However, it is not excluded that other applicationscould request longer time intervals.

During said treatment stage, the power employed and dissipated by theelectrodes does not exceed the total of 40-50 Watts dissipated by widesurface electrodes.

It has been noted that, for a good cosmetic treatment, the suppliedpower in relation to the surface of the electrodes applied on the skinshould not be preferably greater than 0.5 W/cm².

Performed tests have evidenced that, with such a treatment repeated from5 to 7 times with the same above described conditions, a considerablereduction of the superficial wrinkles and an increase of the musculartonicity are obtained, because a regeneration of the tissue beneath theepidermis is obtained, also as a consequence of the recovered membranepermeability.

Said tissue, being regenerated, recovers its youthful turgidity and thusthe overlying skin is stretched again with the effects of considerablewrinkles reduction and cutaneous relaxation.

1. A cosmetic method of treating skin ageing, wherein it comprises thefollowing steps: a) connecting an electronic device, able to generatehigh frequency electric current waves having a distorted sinusoidal waveform by the presence of harmonics, to one or more electrodes ofessentially laminar shape; b) applying said one or more electrodes onthe skin surface in the area to be treated; c) activating saidelectronic device in order to transfer said current waves to said one ormore electrodes and to maintain said device activated for apredetermined time; d) deactivating said device and removing theelectrodes from the contact with the treated area.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein said sinusoidal wave is distorted by thepresence of harmonics from at least the first to the third order.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1 wherein said distorted sinusoidal wave formapplied to one or more electrodes has a frequency greater than 2 MHz. 4.The method according to claim 1 wherein the distorted sinusoidal waveapplied to one or more electrodes has a frequency of about 4 MHz.
 5. Themethod according to claim 1 wherein the maximum power transmitted tosaid one or more electrodes is in the range of 40-50 Watts.
 6. Themethod according to claim 1 wherein the ratio between the supplied powerto said one or more electrodes and the surface of said electrodes is notgreater than 0.5 W/cm².
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein saidelectronic device remains active for a time interval comprised between0.5 and 5 minutes.
 8. A device carrying out the cosmetic method of claim1 wherein it comprises: one or more electrodes of essentially laminarshape, to be applied on the skin by adherence and connected to anelectronic device, said device comprising: a rectifier circuit fed bypower grid voltage which supplies a voltage, to a radiofrequencycircuit; a radiofrequency circuit comprising at least an electronicswitch fed by said voltage and piloted by a piloting circuit, whereinsaid radiofrequency circuit output consists of a current wave ofdistorted sinusoidal form by the presence of harmonics of at least thesecond and third order, said resultant wave circulating in a broadbandresonant circuit on the frequency of the pure wave of said distortedsinusoidal form.
 9. The device according to claim 8 wherein saidresonant circuit comprises at least the parasitic capacity of saidelectronic switch and the inductance of the radiofrequency transformerprimary circuit which feeds said one or more electrodes.
 10. The deviceaccording to claim 8 wherein said piloting circuit is connected to acontroller circuit comprising a microprocessor which interrupts atprefixed intervals the feeding of said piloting circuit, so that theresultant wave which goes through the resonant circuit takes the form ofa intermittent pulses train, each of them consisting in an amplitudemodulated wave.
 11. The device according to claim 8 wherein the waveform amplitude at the electrode is variable by means of a regulatorwhich modifies the voltage of the piloting circuit.
 12. The deviceaccording to claim 8 wherein the wave form amplitude at the electrode isvariable by the modification of the rectified direct voltage which feedssaid radiofrequency circuit, being maintained constant the voltagefeeding the piloting circuit of said at least an electronic switch. 13.The device according to claim 8 wherein the wave form amplitude at theelectrode is variable by the modification of the rectified directvoltage which feeds said radiofrequency circuit and by means of aregulator which modifies the voltage of the piloting circuit.
 14. Thedevice according to claim 8 wherein said one or more electrodes ofessentially laminar shape comprise an adhesive surface able to be easilyapplied and removed from the skin.